Wednesday Concert Previews, Plus Theatre Of Night & Headrush Updates!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to apologize for a concert that missed our coverage, but the lone SMS-amenable band on the bill ended up dropping out. Fans of party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty are well accustomed by now to them being on the bill of otherwise-rap-only concerts at Blaster Powerhouse in the 2020s, and they were advertised to open for 94Fatso and Robbie G there on Friday (here's the poster). Between the band's lack of social media promotion and my own busy personal schedule, this fell through the cracks, which I do apologize for, but The AA did not play due to personal commitments (thank you to Paul for confirming.)

Hopefully all is well with him, Mikhal, and Amanda, and that we see them back at it down the line, and I do hope that the rap concert was a big hit! Now to two mid-week concert previews as we fully emerge from the Labour Day long weekend, with some more news and notes in the back half, and we'll start with the always-prolific Tym Morrison, who is slated to conclude his annual Wednesday summer concert arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage TOMORROW! Unless Tym's run is extended (it has been before), this is your last chance to see Tym's unplugged covers on the 1332 Great Northern Road outdoor stage for the 2026 season, so keep tomorrow's show in mind if you enjoy his unplugged classic and hard rock covers! As usual for his shows there this year, Tym will be on at 6:30 PM tomorrow with no cover charge or age limit.

9&10 News is calling for temperatures hovering around 20° tomorrow evening with clouds disappearing as the 2 hour show progresses, so things should be similar to last week. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, we'll have more on his new Reggie's show announcements later this week, and for  a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, here's a special Wednesday night concert at Beck's Bar, as local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play their first fully-plugged-in public concert in Sault Ste. Marie in over a month TOMORROW NIGHT, but they won't be alone. For this one-off(?) concert named "Midweek Mayhem", they will welcome Stones & Crows/Jupiter Marvelous guitarist Spencer Pine in a brief reversion to Bone Yard's 2009-2021 form factor. Beck's owner Becky Sawyer was inspired to bring Spencer and your local 225 together after being impressed by Spencer's guitar skills during Stones & Crows concerts there, and given his and Alex's talents on the six string, this should be fun to see what they can cook up together alongside Greg and Warren! Implications in marketing have this being more of a freeform/jam night setup than a typical Bone Yard concert, but if you want their full three-piece shabang, check them out an hour east at the Bruce Mines Fall Fair this weekend, preview forthcoming.

In deference to this being a work/school night, tomorrow's concert runs from 8:00-11:00 PM, though the 19+ age limit and no cover charge remain as expected. It will be very interesting to hear how Spencer fits in with "the dirty three", especially if he is able to sing lead at all, so visit the official Facebook event page for more on Midweek Mayhem, and here's Bone Yard 225 (sans Spencer) live a couple of years back!

Also today, I wanted to acknowledge an event that local classic/hard rock cover quintet Headrush played at last month at Mulligan's Irish Pub. On August 22rd, the guys played their last summer gig for the year at the afterparty for the sixth annual Andy Buffone Memorial Golf Tournament, which is a fundraiser for Canadian Mental Health Association Algoma held at The Sault Golf Club at 1804 Queen Street East. Click here for SooToday's coverage of the tournament, who Andy Buffone was, and what funds raised here go towards at CMHA Algoma. While nominally held at Mulligan's (the golf club's on-site bar/restaurant), Headrush's concert was outside on the front lawn, and bassist John Amendola heavily implied on the band's Facebook group that they also played at this tournament last year, though they did not publically acknowledge their involvement at all in 2025.

I didn't cover this on the SMS last month because it wasn't open to the general public, just registered golfers and donors, but John praised the event well, from the start to the alleged end-of-night "shenanigans", so hopefully everything was a hit for a worthy organization like the CMHA! A video from the private gig was shared by John to their Facebook group, which sees Headrush playing the back half of their cover of April Wine's "Roller". Sadly, the video is both vertical and incomplete, but they were in solid shape on this big outdoor stage, and John Anderson was hitting the notes you expect on vocals, so give it a watch above! I can't embed it here, possibly due to John Amendola's video privacy settings.

Finally for today, let's head south to Sault Michigan for updates from local/Grand Rapids classical metal band Theatre of Night! While their Facebook updates have been slight since releasing "Christmas Night III" last year, they have been teasing that they might be returning to do another Christmas tour run this year after not playing shows last year. Their website has confirmed two new band members joining Craig, Steve, and Erik, including vocalist Aziza Poggi (replacing their most recent live singer Marquita Bernard) and bassist Alex Darwin (replacing Luke Bernard). Aziza is a Grand Rapids-based classically trained mezzo soprano singer with a strong background in Western Michigan, and while I can't find substantial details on Alex's musical background, he is pictured with a 5 string bass, which is usually a good talent indicator. A reason for the Bernards' departure wasn't announced, but all past live and studio singers with Theatre of Night are listed as "guest singers", regardless of if they were officially advertised as band members.

No, they did not credit Luke or fellow past instrumental members Greg Giles, Chris Webster, or Scott Andringa in the same way. German session vocalist and former full-band member Gaby Koss remains credited as a "featured singer", implying that she will turn up on some future studio material. While we await full band samples with Aziza & Alex, this Instagram-exclusive video from last week sees guitarist Steve Giles and drummer Erik Sales jamming "O Holy Night", which is an effective teaser of what's to come later in the year! I believe the band turned off external embedding on Instagram, so give it a watch above, and stay tuned for more from Theatre of Night soon, let alone on the SMS as the week continues! Thanks everyone!

Downtown Street Party #3 Info, New Live Concert Videos, And More!!

I hope everyone's Labour Day long weekend is starting on the right foot! Today on the SMS, we have new live videos from three different acts plus some related updates, but first, here's early info on what to expect for a downtown concert event later this month!

Initial details on the third and final Downtown Street Party for Queen Street East in 2026 have been announced via You Belong SSM's Facebook page! We already knew that it would take place on Thursday, September 17th on a closed section at the western end of Queen East from Dennis Street to Gore Street (bus terminal onward), and things will likely be similar in scope to street party #1 from June, as there's no doubling up due to forest fire smoke cancellations. Expect family entertainment, a kids zone, a vendor market at Queen & Tancred, businesses open along the way, beverage gardens, and much more, and the likely cooler temperatures will appeal to many as well! Live music will return, but unlike the last two parties, organizers have yet to make a distinction on where specific artists are playing, other than saying that there will be two stages, one per block. Local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith is the only SMS-amenable act confirmed here.

Mike (presumably with his Big Finish Band) will be joined somewhere that day by country singer/guitarists Brian Tremblay and Jeffrey Wright, jazz group The Hustle Brothers, Dustcovers frontman "Just" Tom Peer (who played with Mike & crew on The Canopy last month), "and more". I'm not calling this as a concert yet, as I don't have a firm location for where everyone is performing, but keep things in mind over the next couple of weeks! For the record, no artists announced for this party were scheduled for the cancelled July party, so that musical lineup was sadly a complete wash. Visit the above links for current details on the last street party!

Next up, here's some recent live concert videos, starting with a video of Toronto-based Kiss tribute band Destroyer's headlining concert at the first annual Prince Fest last week! This was filmed by Mike Blair of 705Live Sound Co., who were running sound for the festival outside of DeMarco's Boots & Saddles Roadhouse in Prince Township that night. The not-quite 1 minute long video sees Destroyer playing the Kiss classic "Rock & Roll All Nite" with an uncredited special guest helping on vocals. A comment on the Facebook upload suggests that he could be named Frank but I can't confirm anything beyond that. How Frank(?) got to sing on stage, I don't know, but it's a solid cover for what we do hear! I wouldn't have done the "pan from the soundboard to the stage" thing that Mike likes doing though, as it gave too much away about crowd levels in the field. Give 705Live's Destroyer video a watch for yourselves below!

Also today, here's the latest updates from local alt-hard rock band Riverside Stasis, who may be remaining a quartet following Liam Dinsmore's departure, as their Facebook page's description now calls them "a a four piece indie, blues/pop rock band". We'll let you know if they add a new second guitarist though! The Handsome Sandwich/HeadFirst successors announced via this vertical video from The Northern Vibe Festival in Ophir that they now have official t-shirts on sale, and you can see the band opening the box of shirts to sell for the first time there. No word on if using The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" as backing music was a hint to anything, but the black shirts feature the band's new logo in white. Given where the river flows in the logo, it does look like "Riverside Stassis" to me, but buy yours at their next shows! The band has also confirmed last month's venue announcement that they'll be opening for The Lazys at Blaster Powerhouse on October 9th!

This adds to what should be a fun night of varied hard rock stylings next month, and The Lazys are very much a known commodity on Canadian rock radio, so click here for more on this concert! Lastly from Tea and the guys, they uploaded their first ever live concert video onto their new YouTube channel on Wednesday, which sees them playing their new original song "Run" at Northern Vibe. Filmed by the aforementioned Mike Haggith, he moved around a lot to get lots of distinct and close angles of Riverside Stasis from all angles on the Forest Stage. Chorus is slightly repetitive, but this is a harder rocker than "The Fool" was, and a really strong video of the full song, so check it out below, and stay tuned for more from Riverside Stasis!

Finally for today, this is a new live video that I considered using for recent concert previews, but seeing as the venue that uploaded it opted to include hard-coded captions in post-production to promote concerts that only happen there, I opted to just share it in a normal post. As you may recall, classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison played two solo headlining acoustic gigs at The Up & Down Lounge on Second Line West a month ago, and for gig #1 on July 31st, the bar/indoor golf lounge's Facebook page shared this video of Tym covering Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?". Like with the Destroyer video above, this doesn't quite hit 1:00 in length, but the biggest issue is that it's way too zoomed out, complicated by Tym sitting as usual for his solo dates. If you zoomed in to focus on Tym and not the lounge interior, you could even completely crop out the unnecessary caption!

Video choices that I wouldn't have made aside, Tym does well with this CCR classic, so fans of his solo unplugged concerts will appreciate it! The Up & Down Lounge have been cagey at best when plugging who has played at their recent Thursday evening concerts, but we'll let you know if hard rock shows get firmly announced there, and give Tym's promotional video from last month a watch for yourselves below! 

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS next month! Thanks everyone!

A Mid-Week Concert Preview, SOOpfest 2 Updates, And A New Spaceship Opening Video!!

Before we begin this post, I wanted to note that former Havadder frontman Jason Roy's obituary was finally posted on SooToday on Monday, noting that he suddenly passed away at home on July 30th. Jason (who often went by Jay) is survived by his sisters, stepmother, and many others in his extended family. The obituary details his sense of humour, many friendships, love of music, and his musical talents (including songwriting), though it doesn't mention his local bands by name. Jason's battle with addiction is also touched upon, and in that respect, the family would appreciate donations by e-transfer or cheque to Save Our Young Adults in his name/memory. Cremation has taken place at O'Sullivan Funeral Home, and while there were no public services, a celebration of life is reportedly planned for a later date. This was well written and helped explain Jason's positive impact on so many, so give it a read above! R.I.P. Jay!

Today's post otherwise has new live video from a local band, info on a publically advertised house party concert, and leading off, here's a mid-week concert preview. Prolific local acoustic classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's summer arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TONIGHT! This will technically be Tym's second concert appearance of the week, as he took part in the aforementioned Save Our Young Adults walk for National Overdose Awareness Day at The Roberta Bondar Pavilion on Monday, but between his own lack of public promotion and the somber nature of the event, I hesitate to cover it as a concert, as that's not really the point. Kudos to Tym for supporting a great cause though, drug and alcohol addiction is always worthy to advocate the fight against! Tonight's Trading Post show is the penultimate gig in Tym's seasonal run there unless it gets extended.

Regardless, the Mike Case Stage is only open seasonally, so time is ticking if you want to see Tym at this outdoor Great Northern Road stage! You can check out his hard rocking covers tonight from 6:30-8:30 PM with no cover charge or age limit. 9&10 News has a better forecast for tonight than last week, with partly cloudy skies becoming clear during Tym's sets, and temperatures expected to hover around 21°. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Tym live!

Next up, here's some info on the planned second SOOpfest benefit concert! Local promoters Underground Events SSM hosted the first at a private residence on July 24th as charity drive/fundraiser for the Ken Brown Recovery Home, the $onny Vybe$ memorial, and the Soup Kitchen, and just eight weeks + one day later, they're rolling it back for the same charities. The show will again take place at an unspecified private locale ("ask a punk" for the address, lack of advertised punk bands acknowledged), and because it's not a static named location like Unnecessary Noise or the former Mellow D's Underground, I won't call it as a full public concert here, though it is publically advertised. Just ask those connected to the event for the address! This will also be a backyard potluck barbecue, similar to in July. Only one act (rap collective Fvcksxvad) are returning from last month, while party metal trio The Apocalypse Afterparty, folk singer/guitarist Gimiiwan Ikwe, ...

...Peasant Poetry (featuring Case's Music drum instructor Jamie Talbot), and a mystery project named So Many Bees are also scheduled. Unspecified guests will also be present, as will an open mic/jam element. A very varied lineup is in store for SOOpfest II, though I do wonder, wouldn't a benefit concert like this raise more good for the intended charities if it was a truly public event at an permanent venue with an address that can be posted on social media? In any event, visit the above links (and/or "ask a punk") for more details on SOOpfest II later this month!

Finally for today, we go to a bandmate of SOOpfest promoter Mikhal Muto, namely his ASDP colleague Ralph Barber's space/hard rock duo The Spaceship Opening! It only took 18 days, but third video of their full set at Blaster Powerhouse on August 1st was uploaded to their Facebook page on Sunday, and it sees them playing "a fresh song" that is "something new and on the spot". Like their "Everybody's Gonna Pay" video before, this is an instrumental with Andrew facing Ralph with his back to the live audience. It's a solid driving hard rocker, but presumably because it was improvised, they noted that "(we'll) probably never play this again". In that case, good thing it was filmed, so give it a watch below!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post next! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: Nostalgic Band

After a delay largely due to a stacked round of weekend concert previews, here's this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again spotlight a randomly selected YouTube channel whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, or punk musicians/concerts! For our last post in this series of the summer, we're looking at the channel of an all-too-brief cover rock band from three years ago that had a lot of promise and in-built chemistry, so here's what you should know! 

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Nostalgic Band (http://youtube.com/@nostalgicband)

Owner: A member of 2023 classic/hard rock cover trio The Nostalgic Band, exact identity unclear (possibly Randy, as he was credited for editing videos in the descriptions)

Channel Timeline: Launched on June 9th, 2023; Videos posted that day, three days later, and on August 1st of that year

Channel Summary: This is the only surviving online source for official content from The Nostalgic Band (f.k.a. Nostalgia), and features three live concert videos of the short-lived group, who featured former Caveman Morrison singer/guitarist Tym Morrison, former Browbeat frontman Randy "Dutch" Vanderploeg on bass, and former Nikkfitt drummer Chet Dziergas (note that Randy was in Caveman Morrison from 2012-2013, and he was also a Nikkfitt alum, albeit not when Chet was in that band). 

Why You Should Watch: If you liked The Nostalgic Band during their few mid-2023 concert dates, or have missed any of the members on stage in a band since (Tym's frequent acoustic concerts acknowledged), this will be absolutely worth checking out! This group had talent and chemistry, as fans of late-era Caveman Morrison will know, and it's a shame that things ended the way that they did that September. Note that the band's Facebook group was sadly taken down after their breakup, which Randy was wont to do when any of his prior bands folded. You can, however, see some extra footage of this group via this episode of Randy's Rides, his motorcycle-riding webseries.

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

 

Nostalgic Band Promo: The first and most popular video here comes from The Nostalgic Band's live debut at Reggie's Place on May 26th, 2023, which features minute-or-so long clips of them covering Metallica's "Enter Sandman", The Romantics' "Talking In Your Sleep", Starship's "We Built This City", The Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane", Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon", The Cars' "My Best Friend's Girl", Loverboy's "Working For The Weekend", Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train", and The Cars' "Good Times Roll", with Randy on lead vocals for the Cars covers. While I'd prefer full songs, and the camera is way too zoomed out (making Reggie's look cavernous around the band), this is a good sampling of what The Nostalgic Band had in store, and it was good seeing Tym front a band again, even with short hair!

 

 

I DON'T KNOW cover by The NOSTALGIC band: In a sign that Ozzy Osbourne covers were popular for Tym, Randy, and Chet in this band, their other Reggie's video sees them cover "I Don't Know" at another Reggie's concert just two weeks later. Edited by Randy in post-production to include zooms into the stage and individual band members, this is a sound cover that shows off everyone's musical abilities well, even if Chet's head is largely obscured at this angle. The video quality isn't super crisp, but it is nice to see everyone in fuller frame, let alone a full video from a public concert!

 

 

Nostalgtic Band Live at the Ranch July 29 2023: In their final and longest upload, we get 37 minutes of the guys at a private outdoor event at "The Ranch" in July 2023, which was (as far as I can recall) cross-posted to their Facebook group before it was taken down. While edited to remove between-song breaks in post-production, the video features their full covers of Deep Purple's "Highway Star", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", Styx's "Too Much Time On My Hands", Bryan Adams' "Summer Of '69", Kiss' "Rock & Roll All Nite", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bad Moon Rising", "Bark At The Moon", and Whitesnake's "Slide It In". Despite fuzzy video quality and a somewhat sterile feeling without crowd reactions between songs, these covers are strongly performed with good enthusiasm and vocals from Tym, and it's a shame that The Nostalgtic (sic) Band didn't last longer than four months, but hopefully we see the guys down the line!

 

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! This series returns (hopefully on time moreso) next month at around September 26th, but stay tuned next for this month's CD review! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Bone Yard 225, Even Flow, And Tym Morrison), An Inactive Band Note, And More!!

Today's post is mostly focused on LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for the fall, and there's some interesting shows ahead to look at here, but we also have a band newly moved to our inactive links and a preview of one more mid-week concert for August 2026, so here's what you should know!

Local acoustic classic/hard rock solo musician Tym Morrison will return to The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post on WEDNESDAY, and in the likely final gigs for him there for the season, he will be back there on September 2nd and 9th as well! I try to go month-by-month for Tym's weekly runs at local venues, hence why I put off the September dates until now. While the September cutoff has varied in the past (and could be added to), ending his annual summer arrangement at the Great Northern Road outdoor stage just after Labour Day makes sense, especially with temperatures starting to drop. Hopefully Tym's unplugged rock covers get a strong reception from assembled fans at The Trading Post on Wednesday and next month! As recently usual, Wednesday's and the last two shows run from 6:30 PM-8:30 PM with no age limits or cover charges.

At press time, 9&10 News is calling for thunderstorms on Wednesday, but this is going up before we'd be in range for an hourly forecast, so I recommend keeping tabs on your preferred local weather source for updates, let alone with Tym on social media. While his Mike Case Stage shows this year have generally avoided bad weather, he has cancelled shows there before due to the elements. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and for a preview, here's Tym live!

Next up, local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 have been booked for a special Wednesday night concert of their own, this time on September 9th at Beck's Bar, but they won't be alone. For this one-off gig (named "Midweek Mayhem"), they'll welcome Stones & Crows/Jackleg Band guitarist Spencer Pine as a guest for their sets! In a sense, this will be a reversion to their original form factor, as Bone Yard had two guitarists before frontman Greg Simpson permanently moved to drums in 2022, though remember that they evolved from country covers into the heavier rock band that Boneheads know and love today by the late 2010s. In her update video on the bar's Facebook page, Beck's owner Becky Sawyer took credit for the idea for this gig, as she "fell in love" with Spencer's playing when Stones & Crows debuted there, and she expressed an interest in getting him and Bone Yard guitarist Alex D'Ettore together for a show where both would play on stage at once.

Emphasis is on this being an "old fashioned jam night" with more of a freeform setlist, but regardless, this will be a unique pull for many! Who knows if it would be repeated if it goes well, but remember that Spencer (also of Jupiter Marvelous and the internet radio network Tomahawk 141) has a lot of irons in the fire. Perhaps in deference to the school/work night scheduling, Midweek Mayhem has an 8:00-11:00 PM runtime, and it will be a 19+ event with no cover as usual. Head to the official Facebook event page for more on this intriguing collaborative concert next month! 

In one more new show announcement, we have our first confirmed Halloween concert for 2026, as local Pearl Jam tribute band Even Flow will open for local Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute Mellowship Slinky on Saturday, October 31st at Blaster Powerhouse! This year, we are lucky enough to have Halloween on a Saturday, which will be huge, and it will mark the one year anniversary of Even Flow's debut, when they headlined an October 31st, 2025 show at the aforementioned Beck's Bar. They're not seen live as frequently as Mellowship Slinky (led by Reeves frontman Brad Irwin), but the talent is most definitely there, so fans of 1990s rock of two different flavours will enjoy this double whammy of local tribute bands! The grunge and funk rock action goes down at 9:00 PM with no age limit. Tickets are on sale at this link and through the bands for $20, and the price will jump to $25 at door.

This may seem steep for a show featuring two local cover bands, but remember that it is Halloween night, the show is being branded as a Halloween party (so expect seasonal frills for the occasion), and while oddly not stated in text on the Facebook event page, I would assume that costumes are heavily encouraged. There will be competition ahead for your Halloween concert plans, but visit the above links for more details on Mellowship Slinky & Even Flow at the former Soo Blaster!

Finally for today, I have moved local hard rock quartet Sylo to our inactive band links. The band has not issued a public update since they headlined at Beck's Bar on August 20th of last year, with frontman Elijah Russell transitioning to work on his country/indie rock band Eli Russell & The River Fools in recent months, not to mention solo acoustic gigs that hewed closer musically to that band. Launched in 2021 under the name Raincourt (after original guitarist Raine Rancourt), and comprised of then-White Pines Collegiate students/Pine Tones members, the band was seen often at school events and at 2022's Go Skate Day, and even released two studio originals on major streaming services, before Raine left and the group quietly rebranded as Sylo. Sporadic activity followed until they fully relaunched in February 2024, playing at scattered local gigs as both headliners and openers until Eli headed off to university for a year that fall.

Sylo reunited last May for a handful of summer shows, including the aborted Ripcordz concert at The Distraction. Their social media presence was never very active (even as Raincourt), which didn't help their exposure locally, but what I heard of them under either name pointed to a talented group with an indie rock flourish on their harder rocking material, and given their ages, the sky was the limit had they stuck around. Still unsure where they got the Sylo name from though. Best of luck to Eli with The River Fools and Raine with Riverside Stasis, and hopefully we hear more from the Owens, Alder, and Jakob down the line! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and updates on the SMS this week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Generations & Greg Simpson) And New Videos!!

Today's post is half devoted to wrapping up our look at a local musician's recent original music output, but first, here's some LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, one on SHORT NOTICE!

Despite the cancellation of his planned Beck's Bar matinee gig tomorrow, you can still see Bone Yard 225 frontman Greg "The Ranting Rockstar" Simpson live this weekend, as he will be rocking The Dive Gastro Pub with a solo acoustic concert TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, Greg only announced this gig via his personal Facebook page earlier this evening, and at press time, The Dive has not corroborated this booking. As per Greg's post about the "uncorked" concert TOMORROW, this concert will be indoors in "the naughty corner" rather than on the patio, but regardless, if you like Bone Yard's acoustic concerts and enjoyed Greg's past solo dates (at The Dive or otherwise), keep TOMORROW'S concert in mind for some more entertsaining southern and hard rock covers! The Ranting Rockstar takes the stage at the former Low & Slow TOMORROW at 9:30 PM with a 19+ age limit and no announced cover charge. See above for more details, and here's Greg live earlier this month!

Next up, local classic/hard rock cover quartet Generations will return to Gateway Casino for one night only (as usual there) on Saturday, September 12th! Drummer Tony Santoro newly announced this show on their Facebook group on Monday, and it marks their first show at the downtown casino since early August. Generations have been taking a few weeks off from the stage this month, aside from some fill-in gigs by Pierre and Tony, so if you've missed their, Valerie, and Joe's tried and tested batch of old school covers, go check them out next month (and this fall!) We already knew about their Reggie's Place gigs next weekend, so look for more in next week's round of weekend concert previews. The Gateway Casino show in three weeks is at 8:00 PM with a 19+ age limit and no cover charge. See above for more details, and look for more from Generations on the SMS next week!

Finally for this post, let's conclude our look at Tym Morrison's recent original solo music from his YouTube channel! Six songs (with videos) were left to look at after our all-Tym post, and in this case,  all six songs/videos here reference socio-political issues and opinions that may be seen as divisive, so I won't comment on the bulk of the lyrics or views here (this isn't that kind of site). Also, remember that Tym uses some AI-generated imagery in his videos, but he wrote and sang every part of the actual songs, give or take some spoken word sections from included videos. All uploaded 2-3 weeks ago, the oldest of the six videos is for "The Harvest", referencing the joyous harvests as seen in the Bible, but the video imagery gets heavier than the song, let's say. Musically, it showcases his guitar skills well, but it's deceptively laid back and mid-tempo. Next is "Save The World", which is about his view on vaccines, and that's all I'll say there.

The song itself is livelier and a little heavier with fuller guitar riffs but it can be a tad repetitive structurally. Lyrically, the next song ("The Right Side Of History") is very much on the same track for its messaging and video content. Musically, it is the heaviest of the three songs yet with strong guitar soloing and energetic, melodic singing, so fans of his older metal material will enjoy the instrumental aspect! "Declassified" focuses on Tym's take on political corruption and declassifying government documents, and this song has an Iced Earth vibe to it at points (if that's fair) with well programmed percussion and good melodies. "The Calm Before The Storm", is about child trafficking, and it goes from there. In terms of the music, it's an intense 1980s-inspired metal song that old Hollow and Carbon Black fans will like on that basis.

The last of the six songs is "COVID-19", and you can guess what that song is about from the title. Tym's vocals come off a little like early-1990s Dave Mustaine with how he approaches the verses here, and while not his fastest or most freewheeling original, it gets the job done as a composition. Tym's songwriting and vocal abilities are definitely present across these songs, but all deal with political, social, or public health content that I really don't want to get into here, so just keep that in mind whether you'd be inclined to agree with the viewpoints or not. Give them a listen/watch above if you want, and that's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the SMS this weekend as our backlog shrinks down! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Bone Yard 225) & Mid-Week Concert Previews!!

An unusually busy stretch of mid-week hard rock concert previews is upon us, so before the actual weekend concert previews begin in earnest, here's what you should know for hard rock concerts tonight and tomorrow, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!

Local southern hard rock trio Bone Yard 225 will play a special "uncorked" concert TOMORROW at the old A&W at 121 Great Northern Road! Apologies for the short notice, the band never publically confirmed this booking on social media, but it is on their website's calendar and postings from members' personal accounts. The band isn't confirmed in the AI-generated poster for the event either, but Bone Yard are no strangers to playing charity car & bike shows at either A&W on Great Northern. Typically, they're booked for the Cruisin' The Dub car shows at the newer A&W down the highway, but the smaller and older A&W is typically used for motorcycle shows, and TOMORROW'S will be the annual August one in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Expect raffle prizes, merchandise, and lots of bikes, with prizes also existing for bikers entering their rides, and click here for full details on the event.

In frontman Greg Simpson's first of two shows in the coming week (more on the second in a few days), your local 225's acoustic outdoor set takes place TOMORROW from 5:00-7:00 PM with no cover or age limit, but consider buying a Teen Burger, as $2 from each purchased TOMORROW will be donated directly to MS Canada. At press time, 9&10 News is calling for 23° temperatures with sunny skies. Kudos to "the dirty three" for supporting a wonderful charity again, and you know they like motorcycles, so visit the above links for more on the bike show, and here's Bone Yard live!

Next up, let's dive into two mid-week shows that did have advance notice, starting with the continuation of prolific local classic/hard rock singer/guitarist Tym Morrison's summer concert arrangement at The Mike Case Memorial Stage outside of The Trading Post TODAY! After this Wednesday evening gig at the outdoor stage at 1332 Great Northern Road, Tym will have just three shows left in this run for 2026, barring an added gig on another day of the week, so consider a run north for his unplugged hard rock covers and other hits! As usual for Tym's shows here, this is a 7:00 PM gig with no cover charge or age limit. 9&10 News is calling for similarly sunny conditions as Bone Yard 225's A&W bike show gig TOMORROW, but for Tym tonight, the temperature is projected to hover around 18°, which is cool for this outdoor series. Visit the official Facebook event page for more on today's concert (Tym's only publically advertised show for this week), and for a preview, here he is live!

Finally, let's look at this year's second Downtown Street Party TOMORROW on Queen Street East! As well promoted via You Belong SSM's Facebook page, tomorrow's festivities will be a double-length street party from Elgin Street all the way to Dennis Street, effectively combining last month's cancelled street party (from Elgin-Brock) with this month's Brock-Dennis event. Fingers crossed that there's no sudden forest fire smoke hazards again, but it will happen rain or shine otherwise! Non-musical activities from the cancelled party will be implemented tomorrow, like Nicole Does Trivia and a screening of Jaws 1 (both at the Downtown Plaza), along with lots of expected family entertainment, vendors, deals and promotions from Queen Street businesses, games, and even a rock climbing wall by the Gardens, so click here for much more on what to expect on this huge stretch of Queen!

While no musicians from last month's cancelled street party were booked tomorrow, there will be three stages of action, one more SMS-geared than the rest. Attendees will want to look up (way up!) towards the roof of Village Media headquarters at the corner of Queen & Bruce Street for a stacked lineup of musicians on "The Canopy", and the elevation alone will set this rare concert apart! Bands there tomorrow will include headlining alternative/punk cover sextet BookcluB at 9:30 PM, local/Barrie alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith (with his Big Finish Band presumably in tow) at 8:15 PM, and Dustcovers singer/guitarist "Just" Tom Peer opening at 7:00 PM. Timeslots are identical on the other two stages tomorrow, including a folk/blues lineup of Jay Case, The Preacher & His Jackleg Band, and Matthew James playing at the OLG Stage at the corner of Queen & March Street.

Also, EDM artists Flummoxx, Hippie Business, and Skeletune will perform at an outdoor stage near Outspoken Brewing, so if your musical interests lean in any of these three directions, you have lots of options on Queen tomorrow! Downtown Street Party #2 is FREE & ALL AGES with a 6:30-11:00 PM complete timeframe. 9&10 News has temperatures starting similarly to the Bone Yard 225 A&W gig TOMORROW, but dipping from 23° to 18° by night's end, and some clouds will arise. Hopefully things go smoothly for the City, attendees, vendors, and musicians alike for what should be a packed evening, including the rocking lineup on top of The Canopy! See above for more details, and for a preview, here's BookcluB live!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more on the SMS shortly! Thanks everyone! 

New Original Music & Video Uploads From Tym Morrison!!

It's easy to forget (especially during extremely busy times around the SMS) that local classic/hard rock musician Tym Morrison has original music being recorded and posted to his YouTube channel in between his prolific summer concert schedule. In fact, since we last talked about Tym's new original music in March, he has uploaded sixteen new videos, mostly with new original songs, so let's look at the first ten of them this morning! Just as an advisory note, remember that multiple songs here reflect his Christian faith as well as socio-political issues that, if sufficiently divisive, I won't comment on the lyrics and imagery of (this is not that kind of website). He also does use some AI-generated imagery in the videos, but the music is all originally composed and sung by him.

I won't comment on the AI side of things either, as A. I might misjudge what is AI and what is stock footage, and B. I want to focus on the music, so just a heads up before checking out these videos.

The former Caveman Morrison frontman's oldest of this un-covered batch of songs is "Father In The Sky", a metal song about God that has a good driving riff and melodic softer choruses, and it should please fans of his heavier originals! Next was "Our Evil Ways", which we first heard on Tym's 2006 "Solo Project" CD, where it was one of my favourite songs. Here, it gets a video contextualizing the lyrics around Christianity and modern social and political commentary. "We Will Decide" followed with more classic-inspired metal, and lyrics about how we will decide our future. Tym's existing love ballad "The Reason Why" came next, and in this case, it's double length, with a lyric video of his modern studio recording, followed by him playing the song live in high school in 1992. Tym's voice has held up over the years, as he sounds pretty close to how he does nowadays! Not his heaviest song, but it is still a pretty composition with a good message overall!

The ending caption heavily implies that the second guitarist on the live performance is the late Jeremey Salatuk (later of Wishbone, Lucky 13, and various other groups). Tym stayed in a reflective/romantic mood for his next song/video, "Heart Of Stone", which has a bit of a flamenco touch on some of the guitar work, and while not heavy, fans will appreciate the music (though the vocals are muffled somewhat at points). He returned to topical material next with "9/11", which reflects on the September 11th attacks, and I won't get into the rest of the song/video's viewpoints here (again, not that kind of site). Musically, it's more reserved, slow, and introspective. Things get heavier with "The Evil In Disguise", a hard rocker about what the title suggests, but played with an ominous and darker bent. and I do prefer Tym's metal songs to have more melody than this. Next was "Lay It On The Line", which is an existing original of his and not a Triumph cover.

Lyrically about a failing relationship, this is one of the most accessible songs here for folks who just want a metal/hard rock song without political or religious content, and it's a fun and intense metal track with solid guitar as you'd expect given Tym's skill set! He next posted "Down With The Devil", about a spiritual battle with Satan, and featuring lots of related CGI imagery. Tym's singing is too processed, but the music is sound with a catchy guitar riff and a strong solo! The last of today's videos was a new upload of his original "Suicide Bike Ride", inspired by a real bicycle accident that Tym had in the 1990s, and in this new video version, he adds captions on screen to outline what exactly happened. The text contrast isn't always great, but the context is welcomed, and this is definitely one of Tym's heaviest post-"Solo Project" original songs! Great riff and very pointed singing given that this all happened to him for real, but he will tell the story better than I ever could!

The other six new songs/videos are from the last two weeks, and I hope it will be much sooner to look at those on here as our backlog continues getting cleaned out. Again, I won't comment on what many of these videos touch on in terms of modern social and political issues, but Tym isn't afraid to share what he wants to say. Musically, these show his talents as a composer and singer well, especially when he leans into 1980s-inspired classic metal and hard rock, so give his new songs a listen at the above links, go see him live at Beck's Bar TOMORROW, and because of the rare video of him live in 1992, here's Tym and Jeremey playing "The Reason Why"!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a new news post later today, including the Krash concert preview! Thanks everyone!